Gobble founder Ooshma Garg reflects on why client incentives warped the product at Anaphora, her first startup at Stanford.
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Garg: The company cracking food personalization will win the sector long-term
“I still today think that the power of personalization, what Amazon brings to e-commerce and what Netflix and Spotify bring to movies and music. That level of personalization has not taken off in food. And just like Google with search, the company that cracks i…”
Opinion
Ooshma Garg: Selling Gobble Now Would Leave Billions on the Table
“Now we've started, like, you know, doubling or tripling year on year, And so, if someone were to acquire us now, and we can't weather the storm of a bad meal kit market, I think we're, like, leaving billions on the table.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Garg: Gobble shut down previous business model at $1.5M to $2M ARR
“I shut down that personalized dinner service, and we were doing maybe, like, one and a half to two million in ARR, but it wasn't going anywhere, and the food wasn't different enough”
Insight
Garg: Investors view new startups as greener because they ignore competitors' flaws
“Every time there's new startups coming up, the grass is always greener, because the investors know all your problems, and they don't know any of the other problems.”
Insight
Garg: Founders can validate an MVP with sales instead of code
“In the first few months, you need to prove your concept. You need to have an MVP. You can do that with code. You can do that with sales, whatever.”
Insight
Garg: Early startup employees stay longer when founders share hard times transparently
“Sometimes you think you're protecting people by not telling them, but actually your closest employees, especially when you're four to six, if you bring them into the challenge, And if they are challenge oriented, they will stay with you. But if you hide it, th…”